Heal Relationships From the Inside Out with Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy in Phoenix

Have you ever heard of IFS?

Most of us are familiar with the following statement: “Part of me wants to work out at the gym, but another part of me just wants to veg on the couch.”

Perhaps for you it’s: “Part of me wants to go to therapy and work on myself, and another part would rather not open that door.”

Developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz, Internal Family Systems also referred to as “parts work” is a therapy model [and way of living] that views people in terms of “parts” that make up who they are. Meaning, we are not all one thing or another, rather, we can be many things or “multiple.” **Not to be confused with the term multiple personalities.

Every single person has different parts to their personality and each part serves a specific purpose in our life.

Protective Parts:

There are 2 kinds of protective parts- those who Prevent us from feeling pain/discomfort/distress (referred to as managers) and those who React to feelings of pain/discomfort/distress (referred to as firefighters).

Often times, protective parts can get stuck in extreme roles that may not serve us in the way they’re intended to (think perfectionism, shopping, substance use, over-eating, that critical voice in your head) and can cause disruption in your life. They can also become rigid in their roles and interfere with the ability to be in loving relationships- (think- refusing to trust, cynicism, not allowing for mistakes, not offering forgiveness.)

Vulnerable Parts- Exiles

These are the parts our protectors are trying to keep locked away- they carry the pain, innocence and even joy, that at one point in our lives were found to be unsafe and therefore “exiled” from awareness.

These parts are often very young, and stuck in the past. If you experience triggers or activations from certain people places or things, it is likely an exiled part of you coming to the surface.

The Self

We all are born with a Self- also referred to as Self-energy. It is not a part, but rather a fixed energy or essence. Think of it as the sun- it is always in the sky, but when there are clouds, it is hidden and therefore can’t be seen and its warmth cannot be felt. If living under clouds for years, it would be easy to forget that the sun exists. Such is true when it comes to the Self.

When we are Self-led we experience any of the following characteristics:

We lose access to the Self when we are hurt in life, and protectors take over. However- we can always find our way back to Self, free our trapped exiles, and release protectors from their extreme roles.

Important to note: there are no bad parts. In order to heal the parts that carry our pain, we need to get to know them and nurture them in a way they haven’t experienced, to create freedom from the burdens they carry.

See IFS in action with founder: Dr. Richard Schwartz

Raquel is IFS Level 1 trained

Jordan, Adelaide & Michael are all IFS-informed.